More and more often these days - words fail me.

And I don't say that lightly.  As anybody who knows me will tell you, I'm a bit outspoken. I speak my mind, and I have opinions on anything and everything.   However, the events of the past week have indeed left me almost speechless.   I am beginning to wonder if some members of the human race can actually stoop any lower than they have. 


Take the 'Hacking' scandal going on at the moment.   The latest report tells us that the Sun decided that it was imperative that the Great British public were informed that Gordon and Sarah Brown's son had Cystic Fibrosis.   Now, no doubt this information would have come out eventually, but when it comes to something like this, it should be when the parents decide to do so.  I can't imagine how the Browns must have felt - in the midst of trying to come to terms with such awful news, they were then dealt a further blow when this was broadcast to the nation.   Words aren't really failing me, but I am a tad gobsmacked at the immorality of some people.


The other thing that is upsetting me a bit lately is the amount of violence being dished out to children these days.   Tonight alone on the BBC website front page is a story of a woman who killed two of her children, and another story about a couple who are blaming each other for the 14 broken ribs, along with other injuries, that their 4 month old baby had.   People like these should be sterilised and never be allowed to breed again.   This may well be taking away their human rights, but every child also has human rights, and when they hurt their children, then, in my opinion, they are no longer entitled to any human rights.   


We've had a fair but of sunshine lately, and I've made the most of it, catching up with washing that was falling a bit behind, and sitting about for a bit each day, and having a bit of a read in the sun.  Just enjoying it while it's here.  


Hubbie came home on Saturday night, and so he had a day off on Monday, as he was a bit jetlagged.  Actually he appears to still be a bit jetlagged as he's sound asleep and snoring his head off in the seat next to me.  In spite of all my efforts to persuade him to get off to bed, he appears not to be listening.  Anyway on Monday we popped off to The Boathouse at Auchinstarry Marina, and had a rather lovely lunch along with a nice wee glass of wine.   We should do this more often.  I must admit, we ended up with a notion to have another boat.


And with that, I'll love you and leave you - the sleeping beauty has risen from his slumbers, and I am every hopeful that he's headed into the kitchen and popped the kettle on.  I do like a good cup of coffee.  g'night all.


             

Summer!

Well  here we are into July, and it's been a while since I did anything here.  To all my many (4?  Is that all???) followers, my apologies. I am pretty sure you've all been waiting with baited breath for the latest words of wisdom to spill from my lips.  

Summer arrived at last!  It came on Saturday, and, believe it or not, it's still here! However, I believe non-summer is just over the horizon, and it'll be back to rain and grey skies in no time again.  However, I have made the most of it.  Spent Sunday in the garden, well the patio really, getting it tidied and swept etc, while Jennifer cut the grass.   Then we had a mini barbecue, just the two of us, which was rather lovely, relaxed as the sun went down and then back indoors for the evening. 

We've been following the Men's Singles at Wimbledon quite closely.  Being a big fan of Roger Federer, I was a little upset when he was knocked out.  However, being a bit of a shallow person, I changed my allegiance to Rafael Nadal.   So we spent Sunday afternoon indoors (wishing we could be outside of course) watching him play in the final against Novak Djokovic.   Sadly, Rafa lost, but to a very worthy opponent.   Next year, it's back to supporting Roger!! 

Having had a teensy little bit of a setback when my much anticipated Market debut was cancelled, I had put my sewing endeavours to one side for a little while.   However, I am now back with a vengeance, and have a new little design which I have produced.   Having now got a new charger for my camera, I will be able to get lots of piccies up of what I've produced lately.   They will, of course, be slightly better quality than the one above, as that one was taken with my phone, which isn't the greatest camera in the world.

This past Friday was one of the nicest days I've had for a while, as I was out in Glasgow, not once, but twice!    My social life knows no bounds.  Late morning, Eileen, Jennifer and I headed into town for lunch with my other daughter, Sarah!   

That's Sarah on the left, Eileen in the middle and Jennifer to the right.  Sadly Sarah and Jennifer had to go to work in the afternoon, but Eileen and I set off, with a few quid in our pockets, and did a wee bit of shopping.  I have a couple of nice new tops for the summer, while Eileen has a lovely new pair of shoes and some tops too.   Then it was home and, for me, back out again to meet up with some friends to go to a concert at The Ferry on the Clyde.   This was the first time I'd been there for a gig, and it is very nice indeed.  If there was someone playing there again that I wanted to see, I'd happily go along. 

Saturday was a busy-ish day too.  In fact, Saturday was party day!  Ethan, my youngest grandson, was a big boy of five!  Well actually he's not five till tomorrow, but his Mummy and Daddy thought a Saturday was the best day for his party, as nobody was working then, so all (apart from Granda) could come along.  Granda is in South Korea working just now, so couldn't quite make it.   Another birthday this week is Jennifer's. I won't mention how old she is, because if I did, she would have to kill me.  I think.   She already has two, yes TWO, birthday cards, so I suppose I will have to go out and buy one for her now too.  

Well, if you've got this far, you deserve a banana.   Well done!  And I'll try very hard not to take so long between blog posts as I have this time.

Enjoy the summer!  (It won't last).    

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Let's get this party started.....

Well not really a party, but I am about to start a bit of housework.   Those that know me well will know that housework isn't really my thing.  In fact, it's about the last thing on my mind usually.  I've spent many many years wishing I had one of those houses that look like something out of Ideal Home, but have never quite attained such a thing.    What with four children around the place and a husband who worked away a great deal of the time I always had an excuse for  having what might be termed 'a lived-in home'.  And boy was it lived in!!   Now that they have mostly flown the nest and hubbie is office-based, you'd think I would have the Ideal Home environment that I've longed for.  Nope.....    Having said that, the place IS a lot tidier than it was around 20 years ago when I had a teenager, two girls around 9 and 10 and a wee one toddling around the place.   At that time, if I'd had unexpected visitors, I'd have been red-faced and apologetic, mumbling things like...excuse the mess, haven't had a chance today, etc etc....more like I hadn't had a chance for about a month!   Nowadays, I don't much care - if people don't like what they see, then that's their tough luck.

Anyway today we are starting on the bedroom.   Halfway through I will probably get sidetracked and tidy the kitchen a bit.  Halfway through that, I'll probably get sidetracked a bit more, decide I need milk or some such thing, wander out in the car, and when I come home will reward myself with a coffee and a wee sit down.   And that'll be that!

Having had a bit of a thing for photography, although not much of an expert, I've been a little bit annoyed lately because I'd mislaid the charger for my camera.   Eventually I decided it wasn't going to be found so went online to see if I could get a replacement.  It's a rather nice, reasonably expensive, Sony camera, so I first went to Sony's website, thinking it would probably be best to get 'the real thing'.  Changed my mind about that pretty quickly when I discovered that it would cost £56 to get the same one as I have mislaid.  So off I went elsewhere, and managed to pick up a generic charger for £11, which not only charges the battery, but it comes with a convertor thingie to use it in both Europe and America!   I will definitely have to go to America now.   Also an in car charger as well, so I will never be without.   One of the things I'd particularly wanted to get a piccie of is a little foal that I see in a field on the way to Tescos.  Jennifer doesn't like to drive that road, and I'd told her about it, so I wanted a photo to show her this sweet wee thing.  And there it is up there.   I don't know whether it's a boy or a girl, but I think it looks more like a boy.  What do you think?

My Creative Writing course has come to an end, and we had a wee night at the pub last week, with lots of farewells, etc.   I've really enjoyed the course very much, and am happy that I accomplished all that I'd hoped to, and it looks like I have passed the assessments required.   There is a Creative Writers Group that a few of the old hands go to, and I'm hoping to get along to that on a Thursday evening over the summertime.  After that, it's a case of thinking what to do next year.   Hopefully there will be another Creative Writing course on at the college, which will take me one level further on with that, and I'll go along to that.   It is funded by the ILA, so I can use that for it, but I will probably have enough left in my account to do something else as well.   Must get my thinking cap on and decide what I fancy.   Any and all ideas are welcome!


For now, though, I am in housewife mode.   I'm going in....wish me luck!

  

Where does the time go?

Well the Race for Life is well and truly over and an enormous success it was too.  A rather wet day it was, but we didn't let it get our spirits down.   While us ladies (and a wee dog or two) set off on our travails, the menfolk got tucked into buffalo burgers and soft drinks.   Had a buffalo burger  myself at the end.   I managed to do it in 1 hour and 6 minutes, and was really very pleased with myself.   Next year, I hope to smash the one hour barrier!!  

This is Lucy, our four-legged friend, who did the walk with Isobel,  and the other photo is me with my three daughters and my daughter-in-law.  Thanks to Superhero Sarah for keeping me company while the others raced on ahead!

This coming Saturday Jennifer and I will be off to Sloans Market with lots of bags to sell.  I have to admit to being a bit nervous about this.  What if nobody likes my bags?  What if I sell.....gulp.....NONE!   Yikes.  Wish me luck.   I am working hard this week to get enough stock.   Have nice little gold and black carriers as well, and am just waiting for business cards to come through.  A bit worried they won't arrive in time, but I can mock something up if not. 

My Creative Writing course has more or less come to an end though we are having a catch up night next week, probably in the pub.   I got everything in that I needed to, and so far it looks like a pass, according to my course tutor,  The work has to go to his boss now, but he reckons it should be fine.   I have to admit I'm pretty pleased with what I produced, though writer's block did strike once or twice.   

Places to go, people to see

You know those days when you get up and you have planned what you're going to do with your day, how productive you're going to be, etc etc, and then things get in the way, and you get nothing done?  Well today was one of these days.  I was going to be in Falkirk by 9.30, home by 11 or so,  do a bit of sewing, clean half the house, and produce a delicious home-made meal for my daughter coming home from work, before drifting off to my evening class at the local college.   I have a beautifully hoovered rug in front of the fire, and that's it!      Instead I spent the day wrangling with t shirt printing.  We are making our own t shirts for the Race for Life on Sunday, and I am printing them, while my youngest daughter, Sarah, designed them.   Sarah, of course, did her part of the deal with great care and attention, emailed the files to me, and I proceeded to print them off - Backwards!   Took me hours, and many emails between me, Sarah and Jennifer, to get it right.   However, we cracked it, and we now have some very professional (if I do say so myself) looking t shirts - thanks to Jennifer who did the ironing on of course.   The Race for Life is in aid of Cancer Research UK, and we have been fundraising like mad and have raised a grand total of over £600!

I have always enjoyed writing.   In my head I have had many best-selling novels, tried putting them down on paper, but they've always been lacking something.   Anyway, I decided it was time I found something to help me, and since January I've been attending a Creative Writing class at Cumbernauld College.  I do believe there is a fair chance I am the oldest person in a 20 mile radius who has a Student Card.   Well, I'd rather have that than a bus pass, which I'm supposed to have, what with me being an aged old crone, but which I have been resisting.   One day I'll get one!   Perhaps when I'm 90.   Anyway, at the end of this course, assuming I pass all the assessments, I get some kind of qualification, which will make me an official Creative Writer.   As well as that, I will get around 15 pages in a little book that will be published when the course is over.   Just have to think what I want to submit for that.


Hmm...I've rambled on a bit.  Time I was sleeping. 

The weekend starts here!

It doesn't really make all that much difference to me that it's the weekend, but it does mean that I have Jennifer at home for a couple of days, and usually Iain, my husband, but he's in Japan at the moment, so he won't be here.   


Having more or less retired from full time, or even part time, work these days, I had to find something to do with myself, so I've been busy on the old sewing machine, and found I have a bit of a talent for producing bags.   That's one of them over there >>>  My Creative Director, otherwise known as Jennifer, has been giving me a few ideas this evening, and has offered to spend tomorrow helping me out, cutting and ironing, etc etc, as I want to get a load of basic tote bags made up.   She's also going to help me out at  my first market stall on the 4th of June, which is at Sloans Market in Glasgow. I'm a litte nervous about this - what if nobody likes what I've made?   What if I sell nothing?  My confidence will take a bit of a knock if that happens.   Otherwise I am working on a couple of doggie bags.  Not the kind you get in a restaurant when you can't finish your dinner, but ones that are made out of doggie fabric!  These will be going to America with my sister, Isobel, when she goes to visit her friend in Chicago in June, and she's taking them as a gift for her and her sister.   Can I then say I am an international entrepreneur?  No?  Oh well, just a thought.....    One doggie bag is finished, and the other will be started on Monday, and I'll try to get a pic or two of them up too - just as soon as I get my camera charged.   


For now, I am about to watch a dvd tucked up in bed.  'night all.

Back to life, back to reality.

Yes the cold has finally lifted and I feel fairly human again.  Still a little stuffed, but I can function, and don't want to sleep all the time any more (just some of the time).


As I've grown older I've begun to realise that some of the things I wanted to do in my life now won't happen.  I wanted to spend three months in America touring around.   Actually I had a rather romanticised notion of the whole family (us and four children) flying over, hiring a camper van, and just taking off, leaving the rest of the world behind for a few months.   I've revised that idea (well the children are all grown now and have mostly left home), and would like now to get two or three weeks over there with my husband, hire a car and either tour around the New England/Maine area or drive the Pacific Highway.  At the moment, the Pacific Highway is winning for me.  Or maybe Route 66, I love the idea of that.   Just have to save lots of money up now.


A long long time ago my husband said he would one day take me to Singapore.  That promise has still to be fulfilled - I don't blame him, as bringing up four children takes up a lot of time and money, so it was put on the back-burner.  However, there's the teensiest chance now that this will come to pass in the not too distant future.......watch this space!


So far, you'll notice, 'Things I wanted to do in my life' have comprised of travel.   Well that's because I love to travel.  I take the view that if you're on a plane, you're either going somewhere, which is exciting, or you're coming home from somewhere, so that was exciting too.   Anyway, there's one or two other things, some of which may or may not come to pass, but perhaps they're for another day.


In the meantime - be careful out there.


Enjoy the day!

Oh look!

I've got two followers already.  Must try and make this interesting.  This has been a pretty awful day, Jennifer has been home from work with a terrible migraine, while I am still suffering with this awful cold.   My sneezing would rival an earthquake, and I have almost finished two boxes of tissues.   There'll be a run on Kleenex shares due to this, I am sure, and all because of little me.   

Charlie!

This is my boy Charlie.  He is the world's greatest cat.   Just now he's out and about keeping down the mouse population, but in a little while he'll probably pop onto my windowsill and want in for the night.   Charlie had a fall two or three years ago and managed to hurt his tail, and had to have it removed.   Of course, he's a cool dude, so he carries off the lack of tail with great aplomb.   As you can see, he is very very handsome.


Tomorrow my granddaughter Elise is coming for a few hours, so I'm hoping the cold clears up and I don't feel too bad tomorrow.   We will do girlie things and if it's nice will pop out for a wee walk.   

I hab a gold

It's supposed to be almost summer and not only has it been pouring with rain all weekend, but I have a cold.   I managed all winter without getting one and now I get one.  My nose hurts, and my brain feels like it is wrapped in cotton wool.


On the plus side, there's the possibility of a wee trip to Amsterdam at the end of November on the horizon!   Fingers crossed it works out.   

Stroll for Life

In two weeks and two days I am doing the Race for Life at Falkirk.   I was supposed to do it last year, but things conspired against me and I couldn't do it.  However, my daughter Jennifer stepped in and took over for me.   The strange thing is, last year I trained pretty much from February till I found it a bit too much (a bit of illness took over and had me a bit tired), but this year, in spite of being pretty sure I'll be there, I've found it a bit hard to get started.  Done a bit of walking, but will be stepping that up this weekend and so should be fit enough for a Stroll, if not a Race, for Life on the 22nd!

Wish me luck!

In other news - the SNP here in Scotland appear to be romping home to govern this small nation of ours.   Am I pleased?   Not sure yet....

I'm new to all this..

Well, when even my non-computer-literate wee sister managed to start and maintain a blog, albeit just for three days, I began to feel it was time I did something myself.   I'll meander along, probably at a slow pace, and perhaps at times I might even make you laugh.  More likely I'll bore you senseless, but you'll come back, won't you?    

I won't go on this time, but I'll give some thought over the next day or two about what I want to fill this with.  

For now, time I was sleeping, but I do get a wee lie in tomorrow morning!  Woo hoo!!

See you soon!